Multcolor: you are very very wrong there, catholics don't worship MARY but honour her as the mother of God period

babatgtr: Pls nd pls I wnt to beg every1 here nt to abuse a servant of God,wether wat he did is right or wrong jst leav him wif God, pls in other nt to face d̶̲̥̅̊ God's anger. Thanks

Brightest Light:
If Mary had original sin,Jesus would have been a product of sin.

Ken_Jak: Though the catholics are not worshipping God, they're worshipping Mary... It's not for him or anyone to judge except God cos God says in the bible, Judge not for you not to be judged.
He's wrong with his preaching.

dejilg:

If my Pastor is praying for me (if he did at all) den it isn't for me to make heaven, but a prayer for my living on earth, probably being sick! But at d hour of death? Only Faith in Christ can save! Not even a Mary can do anythin to save u, she herself needs Jesus saving her!

chrissy3: so honouring mary means you have to go against God's command not to make image of anything in heaven,earth and beneath the sea,you must not bow? Now mary is now 'the way the truth and the life,no one comes to the father except through her? Funny I thought that was suppose to be jesus? Listen jesus christ had to be born as human so he must be born by a human and mary was picked for reasons know to God but the name mary can easily be Martha if someone else was picked .if I ask you catholics why mary was picked you can't say and your saying honouring mary.yes you would give her respect but she has no teaching of the bible and was a vessel for the birth of christ,she is just human nothing more.

nora544:

Read this than you will understand

https://www.nairaland.com/1543771/judge-not-lest-ye-judged

That is what the pastors for the new churches teach you not to jude but it is not right, they only want that there followers believe in all what they teach them.

daraj: its a pity how people argue blindly without proof,and abuse a man of God with impunity,the fact that he is human and has weakness and thus fall in certain circumstances does not give anybody the right to insult who God has called and whether you believe it or not as far as he is representing the Almighty God he has the annointing of God upon his life so you people should be very careful in your choice of words particularly when it has to do with a man of God.if you are a good bible scholar you could recall in the bible when saul was after Davids life and he (david) has the opportunity to kill saul he refused and said how can he touch the anointed of God or do him harm,not only by our hands can we do harm but also by our words,i am not an advocate of pastor okotie i just want to bring to light the dangers of our words when its directed to a man of GOD.In reference to the above topic if catholics really want to know if they are serving the true JESUS of the bible i would like to recommend that they read this book PREPARE FOR WAR by Rebecca Brown MD.

clans:
and you are serving God i presume? you just threw the first stone

bryan arinze: "Catholics worship statues!" People still make this ridiculous claim. Because Catholics have statues in their churches, goes the accusation, they are violating God’s commandment: "You shall not make for yourself a graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow down to them or serve them" (Ex. 20:4–5); "Alas, this people have sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold" (Ex. 32:31).

It is right to warn people against the sin of idolatry when they are committing it. But calling Catholics idolaters because they have images of Christ and the saints is based on misunderstanding or ignorance of what the Bible says about the purpose and uses (both good and bad) of statues.

Anti-Catholic writers, make the blanket statement, "God has forbidden the use of images in worship" (281). Yet if people were to "search the scriptures" (cf. John 5:39), they would find the opposite is true. God forbade the worship of statues, but he did not forbid the religious use of statues. Instead, he actually commanded their use in religious contexts!



God Said To Make Them

People who oppose religious statuary forget about the many passages where the Lord commands the making of statues. For example: "And you shall make two cherubim of gold [i.e., two gold statues of angels]; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end; of one piece of the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be" (Ex. 25:18–20).

David gave Solomon the plan "for the altar of incense made of refined gold, and its weight; also his plan for the golden chariot of the cherubim that spread their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord. All this he made clear by the writing of the hand of the Lord concerning it all, all the work to be done according to the plan" (1 Chr. 28:18–19). David’s plan for the temple, which the biblical author tells us was "by the writing of the hand of the Lord concerning it all," included statues of angels.

Similarly Ezekiel 41:17–18 describes graven (carved) images in the idealized temple he was shown in a vision, for he writes, "On the walls round about in the inner room and [on] the nave were carved likenesses of cherubim."



The Religious Uses of Images

During a plague of serpents sent to punish the Israelites during the exodus, God told Moses to "make [a statue of] a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it shall live. So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live" (Num. 21:8–9).

One had to look at the bronze statue of the serpent to be healed, which shows that statues could be used ritually, not merely as religious decorations.

Catholics use statues, paintings, and other artistic devices to recall the person or thing depicted. Just as it helps to remember one’s mother by looking at her photograph, so it helps to recall the example of the saints by looking at pictures of them. Catholics also use statues as teaching tools. In the early Church they were especially useful for the instruction of the illiterate. Many Protestants have pictures of Jesus and other Bible pictures in Sunday school for teaching children. Catholics also use statues to commemorate certain people and events, much as Protestant churches have three-dimensional nativity scenes at Christmas.

If one measured Protestants by the same rule, then by using these "graven" images, they would be practicing the "idolatry" of which they accuse Catholics. But there’s no idolatry going on in these situations. God forbids the worship of images as gods, but he doesn’t ban the making of images. If he had, religious movies, videos, photographs, paintings, and all similar things would be banned. But, as the case of the bronze serpent shows, God does not even forbid the ritual use of religious images.

It is when people begin to adore a statue as a god that the Lord becomes angry. Thus when people did start to worship the bronze serpent as a snake-god (whom they named "Nehushtan", the righteous king Hezekiah had it destroyed (2 Kgs. 18:4).



What About Bowing?

Sometimes anti-Catholics cite Deuteronomy 5:9, where God said concerning idols, "You shall not bow down to them." Since many Catholics sometimes bow or kneel in front of statues of Jesus and the saints, anti-Catholics confuse the legitimate veneration of a sacred image with the sin of idolatry.

Though bowing can be used as a posture in worship, not all bowing is worship. In Japan, people show respect by bowing in greeting (the equivalent of the Western handshake). Similarly, a person can kneel before a king without worshipping him as a god. In the same way, a Catholic who may kneel in front of a statue while praying isn’t worshipping the statue or even praying to it, any more than the Protestant who kneels with a Bible in his hands when praying is worshipping the Bible or praying to it.


The Answer Is No

Early in its history, Israel was forbidden to make any depictions of God because he had not revealed himself in a visible form. Given the pagan culture surrounding them, the Israelites might have been tempted to worship God in the form of an animal or some natural object (e.g., a bull or the sun).

But later God did reveal himself under visible forms, such as in Daniel 7:9: "As I looked, thrones were placed and one that was Ancient of Days took his seat; his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, its wheels were burning fire." Protestants make depictions of the Father under this form when they do illustrations of Old Testament prophecies.

The Holy Spirit revealed himself under at least two visible forms—that of a dove, at the baptism of Jesus (Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32), and as tongues of fire, on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4). Protestants use these images when drawing or painting these biblical episodes and when they wear Holy Spirit lapel pins or place dove emblems on their cars.

But, more important, in the Incarnation of Christ his Son, God showed mankind an icon of himself. Paul said, "He is the image (Greek: ikon) of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation." Christ is the tangible, divine "icon" of the unseen, infinite God.

We read that when the magi were "going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh" (Matt. 2:11). Though God did not reveal a form for himself on Mount Horeb, he did reveal one in the house in Bethlehem.

The bottom line is, when God made the New Covenant with us, he did reveal himself under a visible form in Jesus Christ. For that reason, we can make representations of God in Christ. Even Protestants use all sorts of religious images: Pictures of Jesus and other biblical persons appear on a myriad of Bibles, picture books, T-shirts, jewelry, bumper stickers, greeting cards, compact discs, and manger scenes. Christ is even symbolically represented through the Icthus or "fish emblem."

Common sense tells us that, since God has revealed himself in various images, most especially in the incarnate Jesus Christ, it’s not wrong for us to use images of these forms to deepen our knowledge and love of God. That’s why God revealed himself in these visible forms, and that’s why statues and pictures are made of them.

he who has ears let him hear. Religion and Christianity is a personal walk with God. Obviously from the above what Catholics do are not entirely foreign to the scriptures so the at very least all protestants should recognize that

bryan arinze: "Catholics worship statues!" People still make this ridiculous claim. Because Catholics have statues in their churches, goes the accusation, they are violating God’s commandment: "You shall not make for yourself a graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow down to them or serve them" (Ex. 20:4–5); "Alas, this people have sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold" (Ex. 32:31).

It is right to warn people against the sin of idolatry when they are committing it. But calling Catholics idolaters because they have images of Christ and the saints is based on misunderstanding or ignorance of what the Bible says about the purpose and uses (both good and bad) of statues.

Anti-Catholic writers, make the blanket statement, "God has forbidden the use of images in worship" (281). Yet if people were to "search the scriptures" (cf. John 5:39), they would find the opposite is true. God forbade the worship of statues, but he did not forbid the religious use of statues. Instead, he actually commanded their use in religious contexts!



God Said To Make Them

People who oppose religious statuary forget about the many passages where the Lord commands the making of statues. For example: "And you shall make two cherubim of gold [i.e., two gold statues of angels]; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end; of one piece of the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be" (Ex. 25:18–20).

David gave Solomon the plan "for the altar of incense made of refined gold, and its weight; also his plan for the golden chariot of the cherubim that spread their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord. All this he made clear by the writing of the hand of the Lord concerning it all, all the work to be done according to the plan" (1 Chr. 28:18–19). David’s plan for the temple, which the biblical author tells us was "by the writing of the hand of the Lord concerning it all," included statues of angels.

Similarly Ezekiel 41:17–18 describes graven (carved) images in the idealized temple he was shown in a vision, for he writes, "On the walls round about in the inner room and [on] the nave were carved likenesses of cherubim."



The Religious Uses of Images

During a plague of serpents sent to punish the Israelites during the exodus, God told Moses to "make [a statue of] a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it shall live. So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live" (Num. 21:8–9).

One had to look at the bronze statue of the serpent to be healed, which shows that statues could be used ritually, not merely as religious decorations.

Catholics use statues, paintings, and other artistic devices to recall the person or thing depicted. Just as it helps to remember one’s mother by looking at her photograph, so it helps to recall the example of the saints by looking at pictures of them. Catholics also use statues as teaching tools. In the early Church they were especially useful for the instruction of the illiterate. Many Protestants have pictures of Jesus and other Bible pictures in Sunday school for teaching children. Catholics also use statues to commemorate certain people and events, much as Protestant churches have three-dimensional nativity scenes at Christmas.

If one measured Protestants by the same rule, then by using these "graven" images, they would be practicing the "idolatry" of which they accuse Catholics. But there’s no idolatry going on in these situations. God forbids the worship of images as gods, but he doesn’t ban the making of images. If he had, religious movies, videos, photographs, paintings, and all similar things would be banned. But, as the case of the bronze serpent shows, God does not even forbid the ritual use of religious images.

It is when people begin to adore a statue as a god that the Lord becomes angry. Thus when people did start to worship the bronze serpent as a snake-god (whom they named "Nehushtan", the righteous king Hezekiah had it destroyed (2 Kgs. 18:4).



What About Bowing?

Sometimes anti-Catholics cite Deuteronomy 5:9, where God said concerning idols, "You shall not bow down to them." Since many Catholics sometimes bow or kneel in front of statues of Jesus and the saints, anti-Catholics confuse the legitimate veneration of a sacred image with the sin of idolatry.

Though bowing can be used as a posture in worship, not all bowing is worship. In Japan, people show respect by bowing in greeting (the equivalent of the Western handshake). Similarly, a person can kneel before a king without worshipping him as a god. In the same way, a Catholic who may kneel in front of a statue while praying isn’t worshipping the statue or even praying to it, any more than the Protestant who kneels with a Bible in his hands when praying is worshipping the Bible or praying to it.


The Answer Is No

Early in its history, Israel was forbidden to make any depictions of God because he had not revealed himself in a visible form. Given the pagan culture surrounding them, the Israelites might have been tempted to worship God in the form of an animal or some natural object (e.g., a bull or the sun).

But later God did reveal himself under visible forms, such as in Daniel 7:9: "As I looked, thrones were placed and one that was Ancient of Days took his seat; his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, its wheels were burning fire." Protestants make depictions of the Father under this form when they do illustrations of Old Testament prophecies.

The Holy Spirit revealed himself under at least two visible forms—that of a dove, at the baptism of Jesus (Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32), and as tongues of fire, on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4). Protestants use these images when drawing or painting these biblical episodes and when they wear Holy Spirit lapel pins or place dove emblems on their cars.

But, more important, in the Incarnation of Christ his Son, God showed mankind an icon of himself. Paul said, "He is the image (Greek: ikon) of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation." Christ is the tangible, divine "icon" of the unseen, infinite God.

We read that when the magi were "going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh" (Matt. 2:11). Though God did not reveal a form for himself on Mount Horeb, he did reveal one in the house in Bethlehem.

The bottom line is, when God made the New Covenant with us, he did reveal himself under a visible form in Jesus Christ. For that reason, we can make representations of God in Christ. Even Protestants use all sorts of religious images: Pictures of Jesus and other biblical persons appear on a myriad of Bibles, picture books, T-shirts, jewelry, bumper stickers, greeting cards, compact discs, and manger scenes. Christ is even symbolically represented through the Icthus or "fish emblem."

Common sense tells us that, since God has revealed himself in various images, most especially in the incarnate Jesus Christ, it’s not wrong for us to use images of these forms to deepen our knowledge and love of God. That’s why God revealed himself in these visible forms, and that’s why statues and pictures are made of them.

he who has ears let him hear. Religion and Christianity is a personal walk with God. Obviously from the above what Catholics do are not entirely foreign to the scriptures so the at very least all protestants should recognize that

farem: Demon-Mary sold to them as real Mary has been satanically designed by few to be ignorantly worshipped by millions is referred to as the QUEEN OF HEAVEN. Hear the awful judgement of Jehovah:

http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Roman%20Catholicism/queen_of_heaven23.jpg


"The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger." -Jeremiah 7:18

clefstone: yes, she needed Jesus to be saved and by her closeness to Christ; God, who called her Mother, we can be sure of her intercession like it happened in d wedding feast in Canaan.

Annaka: dumb fellow,dont u haf pics of ursef n ur luved ones?

deprince0:
My dear, who is God? If the meaning has not changed.... God means creator. I know, u know that mary is a creature. The question is, can a creature give birth to the creator. Therefore God has no mother. God is self existing. U may say now not God but Jesus. If u say Jesus is Lord that means Jesus is God. Mary was d mother of the earthly Jesus, the one that died on the cross of calvary but not the mother of glorified Jesus who was slain from the foundation of earth, Jesus of the blessed trinity, Jesus that said in Genesis chap 1 "let there be light and there was light". Plz note that the term Jesus means Jehovah our salvation or Jesus has come to save us. Therefore Jesus is Jehovah and Jehovah is Jesus. Jesus of heaven has no mother. He created all. John 1:3. Col 1:16-17. Jesus created Mary. Read with understanding.

babatgtr: Pls nd pls I wnt to beg every1 here nt to abuse a servant of God,wether wat he did is right or wrong jst leav him wif God, pls in other nt to face d̶̲̥̅̊ God's anger. Thanks

Annaka: can u listen 2 ursef'she is JUST human' dont u honor ur mum @ home? or dont she interceed 4 u i may matas?u beta shutup

dejilg:

Suddenly Jesus had become wicked and no more compassionate dat Mary had to be holdin his feet to get him to forgive sinners ryt?

Are u in ur sound mind?

What has the wedding at Cana got to do with this?

ddnt Jesus made it clear dat she wudnt have been needed if it was yet his time to be exposed

So now after fufilling the mission He delibrately took on Himself, He wud den waste it?

Do u catholics ever think?........is ur catholicism based on the Bible?

Zither: How can Mary have been conceived without original sin when she was a mere human like you and I? Are you implying she was born perfect like Jesus? What gave you the impression Mary was 'designed' differently from others so that the sentence, "ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God" does not apply to her? She was just a mere vessel God chose to bring His Son into the world. That was her purpose on earth. Besides that, there was nothing, I repeat, nothing supernatural or divine about Mary. She was flesh and blood and was guilty of sin like others. She was among those whom Christ came to die for their sins. God is no respecter of persons. If Mary did not accept Christ as her personal Lord and saviour she would be languishing in hell. Please do away with the notion that she was conceived without 'original sin'. The Psalmist said, "behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me

Ken_Jak: Though the catholics are not worshipping God, they're worshipping Mary... It's not for him or anyone to judge except God cos God says in the bible, Judge not for you not to be judged.
He's wrong with his preaching.